Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-04-29
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE.
The Interstate MIDDLE.


The general arrangement that has been
caused to all mmercial business by the
passage and operations of the interstate
commerce law, is becoming more point
edly apparent every day. A gentleman re-
marked TO representative OF the RECON-
UNION yesterday, that he was one of those
who had heretofore felt that the railroads
should be controlled-curbed as it were"
and that their charges were often op-
pressiyely high. But" he continued
since Uncle Sam has tried the expert
ment OF substituting an arbitrary statute
Tor the usual laws of competition and
trade, things have gone up within the
ilrst thirty days, from % to 100 per cent. /
am satisfied, SO far as / am concerned. to
return to the former state of affairs, and
permit the natural laws of competition and
commerce to govern in the premises. ]
am confident he added, that those who
have heretofore grumbled at rates, don't
want any more interstate medicine"
A visit among the leading wholesale
dealers in this city, shows a general de-
ranged condition of trade, notwithstand-
ing business is active. Most of the deal
ers invested very heavily in new and an ex-
ira stock just before the law went into effect.
Then followed the enormous rise conlpelled
under the operations of the long and short
haul clause, and as one merchant remarked.
before we could get our goods marked up
to the extreme hight of prices made neces-
sary, the folly of the law dawned upon the
commission and the country, and We are
now all at sea-but a very high seal as
sure you. OF course" said he, I'VE who
nave laid In years supply don't want the
law changed with cur heavy stock on our
hands, as 1t would in many cases utterly
ruin us. But. on the other hand, if we are
to have continuation of this
transportation tinkering, we will all
go 10 the dogs any way. We
don't know what to depend upon, and
Just as we think We have got our footing
again In the Slough ofCommercial Despond,
we find that another slight turn of the
long and short haul kaleidoscope upsets
again all figures and calculations. -
This Is the general feeling of dealers and
traders, as expressed upon all sides, and,
as one of them remarked yesterday, "No
law was ever passed by any legislative body
that in so short time made itself so felt
by all people, nor that became so unani-
mously obnoxious to them"
The new schedule of freight rates was
received IN this city yesterday by General
Agent Forbes, and will prove of interest to
shippers, as well as consumers. 1t may be
said that, as rule, the rates now fixed are
just one hundred per cent. higher, or lust
double the tariff charged before the new
law went into effect and the result of this
upon the consumer will be apparent. Thus
the rate upon canned goods, from Chicago
TO this coast, under the old schedule, was
from 40 TO 80 cents per hundred pounds in
carload lots, and will now be 81; bacon
was 81, and the new rate 81; furniture so
cents, now 81; groceries 81, now 81 Lails
60 cents, now 81 20; stoneware 81, now 81;
woodenWare 20 cents now 81 40 barbed
wire 80 cents per hundred pounds, now 81.
This indicates the present condition of
rates and the interstate muddle, as it effects
dealers and consumers